On the heels of a major study by the British Printing Industries Federation which found that print media is not as well perceived as other media, the Printing Industries of America (PIA), the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) and the Printing Association of Florida (PAF), in a consolidated effort to unite an industry and champion the value of print among the general public, launched a major print awareness campaign. “Print: The Original Information Technology” has been adopted as the heart of this effort.

“Repositioning print media as an integral part of the information technology – or IT – sector of the U.S. economy will be a main objective of this campaign,” said Ray Roper, president of PIA, at the campaign launch, Feb. 2 at the Graphics of the Americas show in Miami, FL. “It will also focus on positioning print with some specific audiences who are important to our industry, such as our lawmakers. This awareness and positioning will be achieved through the consistent use of the campaign theme and logo by print media companies and the associations that represent them over an extended period of time.”

According to PIA, in the past, numerous specialty niches with differing messages proved to be a challenge in presenting a unified message. Under this campaign which is applicable to all, the vast numbers and diverse businesses are opportunities to raise the frequency of the message and reach numerous audiences. PIA has initially called upon 26 industry organizations to adopt the campaign.

“We need everyone’s help to provide a consistent, coherent message promoting print media to the average American,” said Mr. Roper. “Our advantage is having no less than an army of communicators – 1.2 million employees in nearly 46,000 facilities nationwide – rather than a handful of large companies only contributing funding toward an awareness campaign.”

Through the Print IT campaign, PIA will provide the guidance and access to promotional tools to support a national effort to increase the awareness of and appreciation for print media. The organization is currently identifying sources for a wide variety of materials that will feature the logo and theme of the campaign. Such materials include large truck decals, posters, billboards, decals for offices, bumper stickers, corporate identity materials such as letterheads, business cards and invoices, yellow page advertisements, web pages, shipping cartons, etc. Revenue generated from the sale of these materials will underwrite the cost of promoting the campaign.

The first to implement the campaign is the Printing Association of Florida, Inc. (PAF). Working with a Florida advertising firm, AvantiPlus, PAF is purchasing five advertisements carrying the Print IT message and is seeking printing partners in the effort. PAF is also customizing the logo to reflect the industry within its state.

Companies and national, regional and local associations affiliated with print media that are interested in becoming involved with the Print IT campaign can visit www.gain.net for initial information or contact Alexander T. Graham, director of PIA/GATF marketing, at (703) 519-8161 or AGraham@printing.org.

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